Canadian MAPLE LEAF SILVER COINS

Silver Maple leaf – The beginning

Canada has a long history of producing mineral resources such as gold,
silver, copper, and even platinum. So much so, that they are a major
exporter of many of these metals.

Popularity
of Silver as an investment

During the inflation years of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s investor
interest in silver grew. During those years other countries began
attracting investor interest in silver by minting special silver bullion
and selling them to coin collectors and investors at reasonable premiums
over the cost of production.

In
1988 Canada decided to do the same by producing the first 1 ounce Silver
Maple Leaf coin. Aimed at getting investors to buy silver that was
primarily mined in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mint distributed the coins
through as select set of coin dealers, often referred to as the bullion
network. The “Royal Canadian Mint”, or RCM as some abbreviate it, is
the Canadian government’s primary minting facility.

Each Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coin contains 1 troy ounce of solid
99.9+% pure silver and has a legal tender face value of $5.00 in
Canadian money. One side of the coin has a large MAPLE LEAF on it, the
Canadian symbol. The other side features a head portrait of Queen
Elizabeth II.

Maple
Leaf – how will I receive mine?

Produced yearly, the Silver Maple Leaf bullion coins have enjoyed an
investor following. Millions have been sold since their inception.
Originally, Silver Maple Leaf
bullion 1 ounce coins were released by the RCM sealed in a soft
flexible plastic. Over time it was discovered that the plastic material
was not ideal for long term storage. It would often deteriorate over
time. To resolve this problem, the Royal Canadian Mint changed the
packaging to tubes (or rolls) during the last few years. A roll of
Silver Maple Leafs often contains 25 of the one ounce coins. The United
States American Eagle bullion coins are sold in tubes of 20 coins and so
are some other country’s coins. Many coin dealers repackage them into
individual holders, or lots containing various quantities. Buyers need
to pay attention to the quantity of coins in a lot or tube before
purchasing rolls of the Silver Maple Leaf coins, or any other country’s
silver bullion coins.

Maple
Leaf Certificate of Authenticity

When buying these coins, you will not find any paper “certificates of
authenticity” (COA) with the Silver bullion Maple leaf coins. The Royal
Canadian Mint does not issue COA’s for bullion coins or rolls. (The
United States Mint does not either.) However, the RCM does guarantee
their purity and weight.

Silver maple leaf with a Titanic Privy Mark

When a coin collector mentions the “silver maple leaf” most often he is
referring to the one ounce Maple Leaf bullion coins mentioned above.
However, during some years other special commemorative silver coins with
a Maple Leaf design were minted by the RCM, such as: proofs coins,
Olympic maple leafs, privy marked coins, and even smaller size Silver
Maple Leaf coins. These special coins are usually one time mintages and
the designs are not minted in multiple years.